Nintendo's attempt to dethrone its karting kingpins takes the form of 'Kirby Air Riders', an unexpected sequel to the 2003 GameCube failure. This new iteration has our hero, Kirby, hanging on for dear life as he floats on to his racing machine. Gone are the traditional Grand Prix format, replaced with a mode where you pick a track and compete against up to six players. It's a delightfully chaotic experience, filled with cute colourfulness and whimsical charm.
As you speed through the game, you'll discover an unexpectedly steep learning curve that will test your reflexes and drifting skills. Once mastered, though, Air Riders reveals itself to be a satisfyingly zen racing experience that will transport you to a world of competitive racing bliss.
One notable feature is the roster of playable characters, ranging from the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog to some new and somewhat unexpected friends like Chef Kawasaki and Lolo and Lala – if you're familiar with them. The machines themselves offer surprising variety, allowing you to switch between enemy-destroying tanks and paper aeroplanes.
Each track boasts its own unique personality and visual flair, all tied together by a beautiful art style that brings Nintendo's signature whimsy to life. Single-player mode 'Road Trip' shines as a highlight, packed with quirky boss battles, modified races, and grandiose cutscenes that showcase the team behind Kirby Air Riders at their best.
However, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Multiplayer mode, 'City Trials', feels jarringly disjointed, combining elements of Battle Royale-style resource gathering with mini-game showdowns to create something bafflingly pointless. The 'Top Ride' mode offers a more streamlined experience, but one that ultimately falls short in terms of depth.
Despite its flaws, Kirby Air Riders remains an endearing and tightly focused game that celebrates Nintendo's fun-first approach to game design. With customisation options aplenty, including stickers, colours, and even plushie attachments for your machine, it feels like a love letter to the Kirby franchise. Just be prepared to shell out top dollar – as the saying goes, 'you get what you pay for.'
As you speed through the game, you'll discover an unexpectedly steep learning curve that will test your reflexes and drifting skills. Once mastered, though, Air Riders reveals itself to be a satisfyingly zen racing experience that will transport you to a world of competitive racing bliss.
One notable feature is the roster of playable characters, ranging from the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog to some new and somewhat unexpected friends like Chef Kawasaki and Lolo and Lala – if you're familiar with them. The machines themselves offer surprising variety, allowing you to switch between enemy-destroying tanks and paper aeroplanes.
Each track boasts its own unique personality and visual flair, all tied together by a beautiful art style that brings Nintendo's signature whimsy to life. Single-player mode 'Road Trip' shines as a highlight, packed with quirky boss battles, modified races, and grandiose cutscenes that showcase the team behind Kirby Air Riders at their best.
However, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Multiplayer mode, 'City Trials', feels jarringly disjointed, combining elements of Battle Royale-style resource gathering with mini-game showdowns to create something bafflingly pointless. The 'Top Ride' mode offers a more streamlined experience, but one that ultimately falls short in terms of depth.
Despite its flaws, Kirby Air Riders remains an endearing and tightly focused game that celebrates Nintendo's fun-first approach to game design. With customisation options aplenty, including stickers, colours, and even plushie attachments for your machine, it feels like a love letter to the Kirby franchise. Just be prepared to shell out top dollar – as the saying goes, 'you get what you pay for.'
I'm so stoked to see Nintendo trying new things with Kirby Air Riders! I mean, who wouldn't want to ride around on a hoverboard while chasing after food? 
The graphics are insane and the racing is super addictive. I love how they brought back Chef Kawasaki and Lolo – it's like they're part of my childhood now. 
And can we talk about the customisation options? I'm totally hooking up my ride with stickers, colours, and plushie attachments! 
The only thing that's got me a bit disappointed is multiplayer mode... I mean, Battle Royale + mini-games just doesn't make sense to me? 
?! I love how it has a more relaxed vibe compared to the old karting games, but still has that competitive edge. The art style is straight fire 
, I wish they did something like this for Mario Kart instead of just updating the same old thing. And omg single player mode is supposed to be so much fun 
! only bad part is multiplayer... I don't get why they made it all weird and confusing 
. but at the same time, it's like, what even is this "City Trials" mode? feels like they took all these different ideas and just mashed 'em together without thinkin' about how they'd actually work together 
all in all, i guess what i'm sayin' is that Kirby Air Riders is like this weird, beautiful mess of emotions and ideas, and you're just stuck with it whether you like it or not 
but i gotta say multiplayer city trials feels like a mess it's like they took some random ideas and mashed them together without thinking about how it'd actually work out 
I gotta say, I'm super hyped about Kirby Air Riders 
. And can we talk about the roster of playable characters?! Sonic and Chef Kawasaki are awesome additions 
. But, I'm not sure about 'City Trials'... it feels like they're trying to cram too many random modes into one 
i love how you can switch between different machines and it feels like a totally unique experience each time 
but um idk about multiplayer mode what was nintendo thinking with that city trials thing 
I'm all for a good competitive racing game, but 'City Trials' just didn't do it for me. And yeah, customization options are pretty cool, especially the plushie attachments 
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. So, even if some modes feel a bit off, I'm still happy to see Nintendo having so much fun with their games 
!
feels like a weird misfire. Do we think it's because they're playing it safe and not taking enough risks, or do you guys think there's something to the new 'City Trials' concept? 
it sounds like such a fun and colorful experience, especially with the multiplayer mode... i love how they included so many playable characters from other franchises too! 
but y'know, sometimes it's hard to balance all the different features and modes... maybe that's just part of what makes it feel disjointed 
anyway, i'm def gonna check it out and see if it's worth the investment 
, it's like stepping into a dream world. And the multiplayer mode might be a bit weird at first, but once you get used to it, it's actually pretty fun 
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. Plus, who doesn't want to customize their racing machine with stickers, colors, or plushie attachments? 
It's a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for, right? 
. Multiplayer mode being all disjointed & kinda trash is not exactly what I was expecting from Nintendo. And don't even get me started on the price tag...$60+ for a game that's still finding its footing? 
but idk about that city trials thing... it sounds kinda weird 
, especially with all those quirky boss battles. It feels so nostalgic and fun! 
. The customisation options are also super cool, can't wait to deck out my own machine 
and then have battle royale vibes in multiplayer?